This image displays the need for maximum horsepower in these sturdy little boats.

Xero Point Green Technology, a company of Prince Edward Island, is in the process of creating the first hybrid tug-boat. This boat will have a nearly identical hull to its predecessors, but its power system is a whole new technology. Two additional engines run off battery banks will take over for the diesel engine when the tug is idling. Idling emissions are a large issue in marine terminals and the battery engines will provide an equal amount of power as the diesel engines with other benefits. These engines cuts emissions twenty to thirty percent and allow fuel savings of up to forty-four percent.

The vessel has attracted Canadian and international interest, with ports in Los Angeles and California already contributing to the project. The boat, which is expected to be in L.A. in December, is likely to be in very high demand. A spokesman for Metro Vancouver said that the port would support the technology in principle.

I think that this project is a step in the right direction. It is unrealistic to hope that emissions will halt immediately in the world. But ships and boats worldwide make a large contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and it is promising that technology to reduce emissions by that much is developing. And I can only see this technology spreading to other marine vessels. Next stop, hybrid container ships?